San Francisco, CA, USA, Feb. 20, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- This release updates previously reported metrics to reflect finalized on-chain data.
Pay Protocol, a decentralized crypto payments and wallet infrastructure provider, today announced strong year-over-year growth on the TRON blockchain, increasing monthly transaction volume from $4 million in January 2025 to $20 million in January 2026.
The growth reflects the rising adoption of Pay Protocol’s decentralized payment infrastructure by fintechs, payment processors, and merchants that use USDT stablecoin payments for high-volume, low-cost settlement. Based on current transaction momentum and enterprise onboarding activity, Pay Protocol expects to reach approximately $300 million in monthly transaction volume over the next 12 months.
As payment activity has scaled, Pay Protocol has also entered the Top 10 protocols by Total Value Locked (TVL) on TRON, with current on-chain TVL exceeding $4.2 million, according to publicly available data on DefiLlama.
“This growth reflects increasing demand from retailers and fintechs for scalable, self-custodial payment infrastructure capable of supporting sustained, high-volume settlement,” said Yolanda Liu, Co-Founder and CBO at Pay Protocol. “TRON’s low transaction fees and gas rebate support allow us to onboard payment providers processing real-world volume, making it a strong settlement layer for decentralized crypto payments.”
Enterprise Adoption Driving On-Chain Growth
Central to Pay Protocol’s expansion is its integration with enterprise payment providers entering Web3, including companies transitioning from traditional payment rails to stablecoin-based settlement.
Pay Protocol’s smart contract-based wallet infrastructure enables merchants to self-custody funds while converting operational balances into on-chain TVL. As a result, transaction growth directly translates into increased protocol usage and liquidity on TRON, as tracked in Pay Protocol’s public. Dune Dashboard: https://dune.com/queries/5594277
Operational Efficiency at Scale on TRON
Operational efficiency remains a key driver of Pay Protocol’s scalability.
In July 2025, Pay Protocol consumed approximately 789,666,038 energy units on TRON, equivalent to 165,830 TRX (approximately $55,000), while processing $15.66 million in transaction volume. This resulted in a gas cost-to-volume ratio of approximately 0.35%, enabling cost-effective processing of high-throughput USDT transactions.
Similar efficiency levels have supported continued growth in USDT payment volumes through January 2026, demonstrating TRON’s suitability for enterprise-grade crypto payments and stablecoin settlement infrastructure.
TRON Gas Rebates Support Enterprise Growth
Pay Protocol also benefits from TRON’s gas rebate grant program, which helps offset operational costs and supports the onboarding of enterprise clients with longer sales cycles and sustained transaction volume.
By reducing friction relative to competing Layer 2 networks, TRON’s incentive structure allows Pay Protocol to focus on scaling commercial crypto payments, rather than short-term transaction spikes. As merchant adoption expands, Pay Protocol expects transaction volume and on-chain TVL to continue increasing in parallel.
About Pay Protocol
Pay Protocol is a decentralized crypto payments and wallet infrastructure platform designed for commercial businesses. The protocol enables USDT-based payments for products, services, and payroll through self-custodial wallets and programmable smart contracts.
Through Wallet-as-a-Service (WaaS), seamless crypto checkout, and on-chain settlement, Pay Protocol empowers retailers and fintechs to acquire, manage, self-custody, and disburse stablecoins while maintaining full control of funds. Smart-contract automation enables fast, transparent, and secure blockchain-native payment flows across global operations.
To learn more about decentralized crypto payment infrastructure, visit payprotocol.network or follow Pay Protocol on X @pay_protocol
About TRON
TRON is a leading decentralized blockchain protocol designed for high-throughput, scalable, and low-cost applications. The network supports over 361 million accounts and has processed more than 12.8 billion transactions, making it one of the most actively used public blockchains globally.
TRON is the dominant settlement layer for TRC-20 USDT, offering fast transaction finality and low fees. The ecosystem includes TRONSCAN for blockchain exploration, JustLend DAO for decentralized lending, SunSwap for token exchange, and community governance via elected Super Representatives.
Media Contact
Pay Protocol
Email: yolanda@payprotocol.network
Disclaimer: The information provided in this press release is not a solicitation for investment, nor is it intended as investment advice, financial advice, or trading advice. Investing involves risk, including the potential loss of capital. It is strongly recommended you practice due diligence, including consultation with a professional financial advisor, before investing in or trading cryptocurrency and securities. Neither the media platform nor the publisher shall be held responsible for any fraudulent activities, misrepresentations, or financial losses arising from the content of this press release.
CONTACT: Yolanda Liu Pay Protocol yolanda(at)payprotocol.network
